‘Jallikattu in spotlight’: Will centre or SC revoke the ban on it?

As we move closer towards the ‘Maattu Pongal day’, which happens nearly three days after the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, Pongal, more and more politicians, artists, and dignified personalities belonging to different social strata of the Dravidian region have been coming forward day by day with strong statements supporting the bull taming sport, Jallikattu, which has been banned by the SC citing that several cruel practices have been exercised on the bull during the festival days in which this rural sports is generally conducted. Replying to the official request directed towards the central government demanding the removal of the ban on the Jallikattu submitted by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the central government’s representative has offered all possible support to the festival observing that there is no ill-treatment of bull happening during the festival. It is learned that the centre is awaiting the Supreme Court’s final judgement over the apex court’s earlier judgment, which has stayed the centre government’s notification that has removed the list of performing animals from the armpit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal act, in order to make a strong move over the issue. Even though several animal activists have demanded a complete ban on the Jallikattu as they strongly believes that the organisers of the festival use cruel methods such as giving alcohol to bulls and rubbing chillies on the eyes of bulls in order to agitate the bull on which the participants have to demonstrate their taming skill, several renowned personalities like actor Kamal Hassan, musician G V Prakash, and actress Khushbu Sundar have come in support of the rural sports.